


Brothers and Mothers

by glymr



Series: Sawdust and Spangles [2]
Category: Batman (Comics), DCU (Comics), Robin (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bittersweet, Collaboration, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-03-23
Updated: 2010-03-23
Packaged: 2018-03-08 21:24:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3223961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glymr/pseuds/glymr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He bit his lip and looked at the floor. "I never said I didn't *want* to learn."</p><p>A slow, delighted grin spread across Dick's face.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Brothers and Mothers

"There you are." Dick frowned. "What are you doing?"

Tom let go of the bar he'd been hanging from, knees properly bent on landing, Dick noted with approval. "Nothing," he said, brushing his hands together.

"I thought you didn't want to learn the trapeze," said Dick, confused.

Tom stilled for a moment, looking down at his hands. "Pop Haly, and your parents--"

"Your parents now, too," Dick reminded him, and he flushed.

"I--yes. They thought it best that I stay out of the limelight, and I agreed. But..." He bit his lip and looked at the floor. "I never said I didn't *want* to learn."

A slow, delighted grin spread across Dick's face. Tom peeked up him and didn't look back down again. "I'll teach you," said Dick excitedly. He felt a fierce hunger, to *show* Tom, to _share_ it with Tom, the joy of soaring above the crowd, feeling their approval and delight surge through him.

"C-can you?" asked Tom.

"Yeah! I remember everything mom and dad ever taught me!" he said. "The first thing we'll need to do is build up your arm strength...  
  
* * *  
  
"Tom," said Mary as he came into the trailer, and he froze. He'd never heard that particular note in her voice before.

"What is it, mom?" he asked. They'd all agreed that it would be best if he called John and Mary 'dad' and 'mom', but this time it seemed to make her flinch a little. She had a paper between her fingers, a flyer of some kind...oh.  He bit his lip as he realized that it was one of those 'lost child' posters. 'Have You Seen Me?' was printed across the top in bold letters, and a younger version of his own face stared up at them.

"Tom..." she said quietly, and then, "...Tim?"

He squeezed his eyes shut and nodded.

"You told us you were an orphan," she said gently. "But you have a family, don't you?"

"I..." Tim kept his eyes screwed up, trying to keep back the tears welling in them.

"Little one," she said gently, stroking his hair. "They must be so worried about you. They--" She stopped as he shook his head, his hair brushing against her hand. "You don't think they're worried about you?" He shook his head again. "Of course they are. They love you--"

"No," he said, clear and certain. He forced himself to open his eyes, to look into hers. "They never loved me."

She stared, taken aback. Clearly unable to believe that any mother could exist that didn't love her child.

He hadn't wanted to tell her. Now maybe she wouldn't want him around, either.

"Then why would they do this?" she asked, shaking the flyer at him with the air of one presenting an inarguable point. "Why would they try so hard to find you, if they didn't love you?"

Tim met her eyes. "If you lost a necklace or - or, a pet," he said, his voice low and serious, "You would put up signs, too, wouldn't you? Even if..." he had to look away and blink hard for a moment before turning to her again and finishing, "Even if it was a necklace you didn't really like, or a pet you didn't really want around, because..." He swallowed. "Because it was *yours*."

Her eyes were wide, so wide and blue and clear, and he could see the beginning of understanding in them. "Tom," she said, and pulled him into a hug.

"I wish I'd been born your son," he whispered. "Like Dick. I wish...I don't want them to take me away from you..."

She pulled him tighter, settling him in her lap. "Who's going to take you away?" she said defiantly. "You're a Flying Grayson.  You're *circus*, now, Tom Grayson," she added, the faintest hint of emphasis on his first name. "You're circus. And we take care of our own."   
  
~~~


End file.
